Trust That
by Supernova95
Summary: Dick Finds out that Tim lost his spleen in his search for Bruce, however when he digs deeper he finds something far more worrying.


**Warning: Includes swearing.**

* * *

"Hey Timmy, what's that?" Dick said as he bounced into the cave ready for the night's patrol. He nodded to the medical alert bracelet around Tim's wrist at the younger boy's questioning glance. Tim had yet to get changed into his uniform for the night and the medical alert bracelet had slipped his mind when he entered the cave (he didn't usually wear it around the family).

"It's my medical alert bracelet, Lucius makes me wear it at work just in case." He replied not really looking up from the computer screen.

"I can see that Tim, I know what a medical alert bracelet is, I was wondering what you need it for?"

Tim looks at him, brow furrowed. "I lost my spleen," he said confused, Tim thought this was common knowledge. Alfred definitely knows at the very least.

"You what?! When did this happen?"

"Iraq."

"Ira- when were you in Iraq?"

"When I was looking for Bruce."

Right. Before Bruce came back; before the League; before people believed Tim when he said Bruce was alive. Back when he was alone. Back when Dick failed him as his brother, partner and friend. Dick had done his best to forget that time, it made him too uncomfortable; like the sudden churning he felt in his gut.

"Shit Tim. Why didn't you say something?"

"It's not a big deal… I mean, all it means is that I may get ill a bit more than other people, I've had my flu shot so I should be good. This is just in case I'm rushed into the hospital 'again'; an experience that I'm not planning on repeating." He paused, awkwardly smiling at his brother. It was one of Tim's half smiles, the ones that don't reach his eyes; they were becoming more and more his usual greeting lately.

Tim sighed and closed his program, he'd finish his work later, and he stood to go and get changed. "It's really not a big deal Dick. I'll see you out there okay?"

Dick nodded mutely and Tim walked off to the showers and changing rooms.

Instead of heading to his bike Dick sat down at the computer console, bringing up the family medical records. Alfred would have updated Tim's record when Dick saved him during the fight against Ra's, or at least he should have, but when he got to those files Dick found them password protected; and not by Tim.

* * *

Dick was fuming, and therefore Batman was fuming. He punched faster, kicked harder, was more brutal; but he just couldn't work out his frustrations.

He dropped down onto a mugging, sending a punch at the guy's face.

Bruce was hiding something, something about Tim and what happened in his time spent looking for the man, and Dick just couldn't figure out why.

Roundhouse kick to the solar plexus.

What could be so bad that Bruce would lock them all out of the medical files?

Elbow to the jaw and he was down for the count.

What could have happened in Tim's time away?

Dick didn't even stay long enough to give the lady back her bag. He grappled to one of the nearby buildings but stumbled into a break fall when he got there. The realisation hit him hard.

"Fuck" he breathed.

Tim had spent a lot of that time with Ra's as he was the only one who would believe him.

* * *

Not for the first time was Dick glad they had blood bags on hand for any sort of emergency, but it was the first time he was happy that they had a shelf life of a couple of weeks.

He collected a sample of Tim's; not too much that it couldn't be used in an emergency, but enough that he could run some tests, he just needed proof. Though he would prefer it if he was wrong.

By the time the computer came back with the result Dick's heart was in his mouth, he didn't want to look,

"Fuck."

* * *

"You're not helping." Dick said, landing silently behind Bruce. The other Batman was observing Red Robin fighting a gang from the Narrows.

"He can handle it." Bruce said, not even turning around.

"No, I mean you distance, your coldness. It's not helping. He thinks he's being paranoid, if your going to follow him everywhere you should probably tell him why."

Dick could see Bruce's shoulders slump slightly.

"You know."

"Yes."

"How?"

"I saw his medical alert bracelet and you know me, always sticking my nose into things… until I couldn't because you put a password on the file. That got me worried so I ran some tests.

"He doesn't know does he?"

This time Bruce did turn round, his expression however was unreadable.

"No. He still thinks he lost his spleen due to the Widower."

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"No."

Dick punched him, and boy did it feel good. Bruce either didn't see it coming or accepted that he deserved it as he didn't move to block, he merely rolled the punch off.

"He deserves to know. If I was shoved in the pit I would want to know."

Bruce remained silent, though Dick could tell that he was grinding his teeth.

"You need to tell him Bruce. You can't just keep following him day and night to make sure he doesn't go off the deep end. He's fine, put a bit of trust in him."

Bruce clenched his jaw and Dick's eyes narrowed.

"You don't do you? You don't trust Tim. He's your son, if anyone's earned your trust it's him."

"It's complicated."

"You know what? Fuck you Bruce. Fuck you and your 'complicated', I actually don't care. You know what he did? He found you, you left clues and he found you. We all thought he was crazy, told him he was delusional, but no he was adamant.

"I didn't trust him and look how wrong I was." Dick turned and started to head back to his patrol route before he stopped and turned to Bruce again.

"He died for you Bruce. Trust that."


End file.
